Generally, attaching a solar battery module to a roof of a house etc. is performed by arranging a plurality of (for example, 4 to 8) fixtures along with outer frame of the solar battery module so that the fixture will be scattered throughout the module and by fixing the fixtures on the roof using a bolt etc.
Specifically, the solar battery module (C) is fixed on a roof (A) by vertically holding a metal frame (E) surrounding an edge of a solar battery panel (D) between base metal fittings (B) and fixing metal fittings (G) which are fixed on the roof (A), as shown in FIG. 32 (a).
However, there is a level difference (J) in a joint part of a roof tile (a slate tile), and thus it was required to provide a height adjusting butyl to eliminate the level difference (J) when the base metal fitting (B) was located on the joint part as illustrated (see two-dot chain line).
On the other hand, there is another known method of fixing in a parallel fashion on the roof a plurality of fixtures consisting of long rail-like members fit to size (length) of the solar battery module attached to the roof, so that the fixtures will extend striding over the level difference (J) of the tile, and of attaching the solar battery module to the fixture.
According to the fixture consisting of rail-like members, a fixation position of the solar battery module can be adjusted along with length direction of the rail-like members, and thus it allows attaching the solar battery module to the roof without being affected by unevenness (the level difference and flexure) of the roof.
However, the rail-like member is not preferable in that it is long and heavy, increasing weight of an object installed on the roof. Moreover, there is another problem that the roof can be imposed a heavy burden and damaged, if the rail-like members are fixed to the roof so that they stride over the level difference of the tile.
FIG. 32 (b) is a longitudinal sectional view of the solar battery module fixed on the roof using the fixture consisting of conventional rail-like members.
The solar battery module (C) is fixed on the roof with a rail-like member (F) and the fixing metal fittings (G) which are fixed on the roof by vertically holding therebetween the metal frame (E) surrounding edges of the solar battery panel (D).
In a case of this fixture structure, however, the solar battery module (C) easily comes off and in the worst case, could possibly fall from the roof, if one of the fixing metal fittings, which are arranged at the edges on both sides of the solar battery module (C) (for example, an eaves edge side of the roof and the opposite side), respectively, is unfixed for some reason.
Additionally, fixing of the solar battery module (C) on the roof is performed by temporarily placing the solar battery module (C) on the rail-like member (F) followed by fixing the solar battery module (C) with a bolt (H) and a nut (I) using the fixing metal fitting (G).
The temporarily-placed solar battery module (C), however, is just placed unfixed and thus unstable, and could possibly slip from the roof.
Furthermore, use of special ground metal fittings (K) for ground processing of the solar battery module (C) increases the number of components and causes decline in construction working efficiency and increase in construction cost.
On the other hand, the technology disclosed in the following patent documents 2 and 3 is known for the technology which can possibly solve the problems related to the above-described temporal placing and the ground processing.
The patent document 2 discloses the technology for preventing the temporarily-placed solar battery module from slipping from the roof by providing a stopper on the fixture for fixing the edges of the solar battery module.
The patent document 3 discloses the technology which can perform ground processing by providing a protrusion on a part of a fixed member for fixing a solar battery panel and contacting the solar battery panel with the protrusion on the fixing.
However, the technology disclosed in these patent documents 2 and 3 cannot adjust fixed position of the solar battery module, and therefore, it has the big disadvantage that it cannot solve the above-described problem about the level difference of the roof.
In order to solve the problem, it occurred to those skilled in the art to use the fixture disclosed in the patent documents 2 and 3 in combination with the rail-like members disclosed in the patent document 1.
Using the fixture disclosed in the patent documents 2 and 3 in combination with the rail-like member disclosed in the patent documents 1, however, increases the number of components and causes decline in construction working efficiency and increase in construction cost.
Furthermore, it has another big disadvantage that when the fixed position of the solar battery module is adjusted, slip prevention function and ground processing function do not adjust accordingly. In short, position adjustment function does not depend on the same metal fittings as the slip prevention function and ground processing function depends on. Therefore, the slip prevention function for the temporarily-placed solar battery module and ground processing function possibly can not be fulfilled when the fixed position of the solar battery module is adjusted.